Eumir Marcial enters Olympic qualifier quarterfinal after solid win

Eumir Marcial in the Asia/Oceania boxing Olympic qualifiers. ABAP PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Eumir Marcial displayed his pedigree in the middleweight division with a domination of Australia’s Kirra Ruston, 5-0, in the Asia-Oceania Olympic Qualifying Tournament at Prince Hameh Hall in Amman, Jordan.

The silver medalist in the AIBA World Boxing Championships, who was the No. 1  seed in his weight class, advanced to the quarterfinals on Sunday.

Marcial, also a gold medalist in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, said he’s solely focused on achieving that Olympic dream.

“My dad and I have been wishing for this opportunity, to get to the Olympics, and I won’t ever let this opportunity pass,” said Marcial in Filipino.

Marcial faces Byamba Erdene-Otgonbaatar of Mongolia, who is one of the more experienced boxers in the field after turning professional in 2019.

Erdene-Otgonbaatar holds a unanimous decision win over countryman Otguntumur Norovbal in his lone professional fight.

“Eumir will be ready for him,” said Philippine team consultant Don Abnett. “This is the best condition I’ve seen Marcial in. The five-week training camp in Thailand prior to this tournament boosted not only his physical state but his mental state as well.”

A loss, however, blemished the Philippines’ erstwhile perfect record as James Palicte lost to Uzbekistan’s Elnur Abduraimov, 5-0.

Palicte was a the welterweight gold medalist in the 2019 SEA Games but Abduraimov was the more experienced fighter after venturing into the professional circuit and attaining a perfect 5-0 record, all of which ended in knockouts.